This invention relates to a door frame guard. In its more specific aspect, this invention relates to a door frame guard attachable to the strike side of a door frame or to the hinge side of the door frame.
During construction projects or during moving projects, the type of work of necessity is in close proximity to the door, and carrying or passing objects or items through the doorway, or working adjacent to the doorway, can cause damage to the door frame. Typically, a door frame comprises a doorjamb, a stop, and a trim molding affixed to the wood framing, usually of 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 lumber, and plaster dry wall or sheet rock. If the door frame is made of wood, the frame or parts of it can be accidentally scratched, scuffed, split or gouged by the workers, paint splashed on it, or a fixture (e.g., furniture piece) might be accidentally banged into the frame while being moved. Similarly, metal door frames can be dented or chipped by these types of impacts. Damages detract from the appearance or utility of the doorway, and time and money are needed to repair or replace the damaged door frame.
Door frame guards or door frame protectors are known in the art to prevent this type of damage from occurring or to minimize the damage. These door frame guards are intended to be used by commercial and professional workers such as trades people, maintenance professionals, and employees, as well as do-it-yourself home owners. These guards or protectors are installed in place over the door frame, which act as a shield to protect the door frame from damage, and are relatively inexpensive and desirably easy to install and remove, and usually are reusable.
Removable and reusable door frame guards are shown in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,878xe2x80x94Raulerson et al, discloses a U-shaped guard that is attached to the door frame. The guard comprises an elongated, planar wall with inwardly turned side panels to enhance the gripping action, and the guard for the hinge side of the door is provided with a plurality of openings to accommodate the hinges. However, the gripping action of this guard is relatively poor, and the guard is easily knocked off when pumped or hit by a workman or by an item or fixture passing through the doorway. A relatively complicated guard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,130xe2x80x94Freelove, which include flange-like cleats that grip the trim molding. These cleats, however, gouge the trim, which defeats the purpose of the guard. A U-shaped guard having a resilient lining is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,320xe2x80x94Weller. The converging end sections grip the trim molding, but the outer edges protrude and any item passing through the doorway can catch the edge and easily snap off the guard. A magnetic door frame guard useful for metal doorways is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,045xe2x80x94Hill, which therefore has limited use.
This invention has therefore as its purpose to provide a door fame guard that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art, and exhibits improved gripping action.
Another object of the invention is to provide a door frame guard that is useful for the strike side of the door frame or the hinge side of the door frame.
It is another object of the invention to provide a door frame guard which is easy to install and remove, is reusable, and is cost-effective, and time-saving.
My invention provides a removable and reusable door frame guard for installation over, and for providing temporary protection to, a door frame comprising a doorjamb, a door stop, and trim molding attached to a plaster dry wall defining a doorway or opening. The guard or protector comprises an elongated member, for vertical and/or horizontal disposition along the door frame, having a substantially planar web with substantially parallel side panels or walls normal to the planar web and depending from the opposed longitudinal edges of the planar web. At least one of the side panels has an inwardly directed shoulder terminating with an outwardly directed transverse flange which parallel the plaster wall when the guard is installed. The shoulder and transverse flange have substantially planar surfaces adaptable for a gripping action or engagement with the trim molding and plaster wall. Thus, when the guard component is installed over the door frame, the elongated member is adaptable to at least partially enclose the door jamb and abut the door stop, and at least one side of the guard is adaptable to grip the trim molding.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, one side only of the guard includes the shoulder and transverse flange. This embodiment is utilized for the hinge side of the door frame. For this embodiment, the guard includes the two side panels, but one side panel has a width about equal to the width of the door stop, and includes no shoulder or transverse flange. Thus, this narrow panel terminates at the jamb and abuts the side of the door stop, as well as the jamb along its marginal edge, thereby providing a gripping action at this side of the guard. It will be observed that because the zone of engagement for this one side of the guard is limited to the stop and jamb, and does not extend to the trim molding and plaster wall as on the opposite side of the guard, the door hinges are no obstacle, that is the hinges do not inhibit the installation of the guard, regardless of the number of hinges, and no special design of the guard is required to receive or to accommodate the hinges.
In the alternative embodiment, both sides of the door frame guard are substantially identical, that is the guard is symmetrical as viewed along a transverse plane disposed along the center longitudinal axis of the guard. Thus, both sides include the side panel, shoulder, and transverse flange, and the gripping action is against the trim molding and plaster wall, as explained above.
Preferably, the door frame guard can be made of a suitable plastic, such as polypropylene, a vinyl plastic, or other suitable plastic material. The fabricated guard is sufficiently rigid to be self-sustaining, but because of the design of the guard, the side panels and extensions exhibit some flexibility to facilitate the installation and securement of the guard to the frame. Also, a shorter guard may be provided for the top side of the doorway. It also is preferable to provide the guard with a compressible polymeric lining, such as a rubberized or elastomeric lining, so as to protect the doorway from any abrasive action of the guard.